15 October 2018: Girona to Barcelona (by train); 20 miles, 710 Total

 In gernal, the route from the train to my hotel was about 3 miles, with no wrong turns. Once at the hotel, I explored the neighborhood and eventually discovered a route to the Mediteranean with a largely deserted beach on the east side of El Prat Airport. The locals know the route well, with many runners, walkers, and a few cyclists. In general, this is a good area to find a hotel near the airport. The hotel-to-airport shuttle probably drove 3x the distance I rode by bicycle. As usual, easy if you know the route.

I woke several times last night to the sound of rain pounding on the metal flashing outside my window in Girona. While rain is relatively rare in Spain, we caught it at the end of our trip. It's still pretty warm.

I had a short ride to the Girona train station and planned on taking the 9:30 am R2 regional train to Barcelona, but the tracks were damaged and all trains were cancelled. They have been playing flood and mud videos on TV, not sure exactly where in Spain.

I waited in a long line at the station to buy a ticket (my 9:30 had not yet been shown as canceled on-screen), so the kind ticket woman suggested I take the high-speed TGV. Perks of being old, as the fare only changed from 10 to 18 euros. No charge for the bike, but it had to be packed and I had the means. The next TGV was 10:47am versus 9:30am, so plenty of time to pack the bike.

Once in Barcelona's Sants Station, I easily found the airport train, purchased a ticket, and waited. On arrival, I assembled my bike and rode to my hotel that was less than 3 miles away. The hotel is in a real Spanish urban neighborhood. Seems to be mostly middle class, lots of small shops in the area, and seemingly entirely built-up until getting to the area around the airport and beach.

While assembling my bike, a Brompton owner from the Netherlands walked up with his bike in a bag. He said because the bag said "Bike" he had to pay a fee to fly within Europe. He had ridden from Barcelona to El Prat, only 7 miles, if you know the route. I think I might remove the "Bike" label and see what happened.

On the way out of the airport, two security police stopped me and asked how I had ridden into the airport.  I said I hadn't, that I arrived by train and was going to a nearby hotel. They said it was unsafe to ride in the same lanes as taxis and busses, but when I showed them my maps.me route, they let me go. It was a short, simple, low-traffic route. I checked into my hotel and went out to explore by bike. After circling an urban area that appeared to contain a college campus and the Estrella Beer Factory, then taking the back streets to the airport, I followed a paved bike path to the Mediterranean beach on the east side of El Prat Airport. Who knew the Med was that close. Looking on-line, I think one could easily cycle down the coast from Barcelona to El Prat Airport. Nice way to end my tour.

As I write, the case and bike are mostly cleaned of road grime, packed in the orange case, and I have a shuttle scheduled for the 7-minute ride to the airport tomorrow, at 4:30 am. Things do seem to work out.

When asked about the usual 2-hour pre-departure requirement, the hotel desk clerk, who also works a 2nd job at El Prat, said she never needs 2 hours, as officials are unlikely to be available at 4 am. My flight was booked on Delta, is listed as an Air France flight, but flown by Joon Air. All I know is it's at T1 and things will work out. Joon Air turned out too be indistinguishable from Air France.

Cancelled Regional Train. Getting ready for the TGV. Bikes must be in a case (or wrapped).

Ready to Go.

. . . And Waiting

Arrival

Getting the Right Train. As travelers in foreign lands, we make lots of mistakes, hopefully only once. When traveling with Nancy, we boarded the train that went in the direction of El Prat Airport, but continued south. We discovered my mistake and had to get off and wait to board the El Prat-bound train at the last station before El Prat. I once got on a train bound for the Madrid Airport, but I was on the wrong side of the platform. I had nervously left early in the morning, my time was more than adequate, but I circled Madrid in the wrong direction. My short ride became a long ride and I was probably on an illegal ticket. 

Note: While Nancy graciously said it was our mistake, it was mostly mine. 

Stacked for the Train.

Dog of the Day. Patiently waiting for the train.

Arrival. I love the European rail system.

Mucho Rain in Spain.

Wonderful bike trail around the north side of El Prat Airport and out to the beach. Lots of runners, walkers, and cyclists.

Looking north on the Mediterranean shore.

Looking south on the Mediterranean shore. On a partly cloud day, 70F, and light wind, the beach was nearly deserted.

Shades of My Future? Given the changes in trains and schedules, I needed something to eat. I spotted some restaurant/cafe signs on a large building facing a park plaza. I turned out to be be a senior center. I had calamari and cerveza. The game of choice seemed to be dominoes. 

As I finish this post, I heard from the SLO riders. They arrived in Bordeaux by train, then Robin and John rode nearly 10 miles in rain to their hotel near the airport, the same hotel where they left their bike boxes and excess luggage. Michael took a cab, perhaps related to his need to return the rental bike. All were in good spirits in what they described as prison-like quarters, a triple-room. Triple rooms or family rooms vary when traveling in Europe. Like a Forrest Gump quote, Mama always said "Life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get." That often applies to lodging booked on the web.

14 October 2018: Girona; 40 miles, 690 Total

 A best intentions route. I started for Banyoles and then Besalu. My first route was via back streets, ending in an gravel & dirt road with heavy rain. I returned, the rains stopped and I tried again via the main highway route, following road signs. That ended with heavy rain as well. So, two out-and-backs in this general direction.

As I rest in my Condal Hotel room after an enjoyable but wet day exploring the area around Girona, I happened across the Catalonia TV channel. Shades of a prior trip, they are featuring 'Castels' Competition (Human Towers). We passed through Tarragona on a prior trip, the heart of Castels competitions.

Some info from the web:

The Tarragona Human Tower Competition is an event carried out by the best teams in the country and it is held every two years. One of the main attractions of this event is  that all the towers are scored on difficulty. The leading teams compete in various classifications.

The XXVII Tarragona Human Tower Competition, organised by the City Hall, was held on September 30th of 2018 in Torredembarra and on October 6th and 7th in the Tarraco Arena Plaça of Tarragona, with 42 teams participating.

Nearly 6.000 spectators enjoy the most important tower building event, which enjoys wide coverage in the Catalan and international media.

Six- to ten-level pyramids are the norm, per the web, depending on the class of the competitors. Most on TV seem to be 6 or 7 levels. Coverage is non-stop with excited commentators, replays, and participant interviews.

Not many photos of today's ride. My tour companions left about 8 am for the train station while I dropped my bike trailer at my hotel. The forecast was accurate. Precipitation rapidly shifted between mist, rain, heavy rain, a short sun break, and repeat. My original plan to visit Besalu was drowned out about 8 miles out of Girona. I was following the maps.me-recommended route. When the road transitioned to sand and clay, I turned about to my hotel, but could not yet check in. I rode to the rail station to determine how and when I could travel to Barcelona on Monday. Subsequently, the rain stopped, a patch of blue sky appeared to the northwest, and I decided to try again by a different route. Instead of following maps.me, I opted for a direct route on a main highway with a wide shoulder. Sunday morning traffic was light, and riding without my trailer was pleasant. However, after a short stop at a Banyoles market for lunch, the rain resumed and I decided to forgo Besalu. On my return to Girona, I paused several times at underpasses and a bus shelter during the heaviest rain.

I now have my trailer in my room, trying to dry things out, and my bike is stored in the hotel's 1st floor lounge that guests seldom use. It's Sunday in Spain and few shops are open, just small markets and some restaurants. I'll look for an early dinner between rain storms. Tomorrow's weather looks better for my 1.5 hour train to Barcelona, and then a short ride to my departure hotel where I'll pack the bike. The train station is less than a kilometer, and I can take the bike and trailer aboard the regional train without extra packing or charges. I will have to negotiate the transfer to the El Prat Airport train at the Barcelona station, then ride to my departure hotel.

Saturday Evening—Girona Old Town. Robin and I took an evening walk while John and Michael relaxed at our apartment. Michael slipped on a wet cobblestone on the way back from a pre-dinner walk. He's sore but OK. No need for more walking. I've been extremely cautious when riding and walking on these wet streets.

No More Whining About Rain. This is what I missed in Bozeman, Montana. I love riding in 65F rain showers.

Remember When Children Could Stay Up Late and Play Outside? They still can in much of France and Spain, perhaps a message for protective parents.

The SLO Riders with Alex, our Host.

Departure and Goodbye. Sorry to split with these fine bike touring companions. They all kept in good spirits, especially Michael. Michael really wanted to continue. His language skills were invaluable, especially in France. When in doubt, we handed him the phone or asked him to negotiate. He was unflappable. 

The one thing we witnessed as an alternative was Google Translate, providing you have a good signal and unlimited data on your cell phone. John purchased 20 or 30 Gigs with his sim card, as the additional cost of a minimal plan was small. 

I had issues with my AT&T linked phone and plan. Their $10/day, unlimited-for-the-day plan quit working about 10 days in. The best solution is having an unlocked phone and buying a SIM card on arrival. In fact, iPhones are so good and reliable that I suggest purchasing an older model for touring if you are currently stuck in your current carrier's plan. I'm guessing any 6 or above would suffice. Good camera and adequate processor and storage. Good for 32 minimum or 64+ GBs of storage if possible.

Robin might be the most polite and courteous person I've had the pleasure of traveling with. He asked everyone their name, introduced himself, and then the rest of  us if we were paying attention. He usually rode in back until he encountered a steep grade. Then he would simply glide past me, then Michael, and catch John, who had slowly pulled away from all of us. 

John taught us all how to navigate using the map.me app, almost always keeping us on route, if maybe too obscure a route at times. John was unflappable, always ready to adapt, whether it was a place to eat or coping with the unexpected. John The Professor really fits, even if John chose not to teach after getting his PhD. Besides, I have to differentiate him from John the Banker, a prior touring companion.

Perhaps my greatest anxiety when bike touring is getting lost, especially if others are counting on me having some sense of where we are. I often say: I'm not lost but I'm not exactly sure where we are. For navigation this time I purchased all the 150,000-scale Michelin maps, bought the upgraded version of RidewithGPS, had a Garmin Edge Touring GPS with pre-loaded routes, an carried a phone with Google maps and Apple's Maps application. Here were the issues with each one:

• Michelin Maps were accurate and the Euro Velo bike paths were noted. Maps offer the best overall perspective, but a cyclist would probably be riding busier but perhaps more direct roads. However, the detail was still lacking for turn-by-turn directions and many smaller roads were not on the maps. Also, the route numbers often changed or differed from the map numbers. When routes converge, the posted number seems to be optional.
• RidewithGPS routes could be loaded on my iPhone and Garmin Edge. However if we were to change routes, they would no longer work. The app is good for planning with a laptop and it links the profile to the route, very useful when minimizing climbs with a loaded touring bike.
• Garmin Edge Touring is largely useless, ofter referred to as a POS or POC. Routes were inexplicable, the battery would last half of a day, and the display is hard to read when wearing sun glasses. Also, the perspective is narrow and when one rides off-route very long, the unit simply shuts off.
• Google Maps requires a data connection on the phone, although I think there is a map-download option. It's not that easy to use. It's better for driving when one can plug it into power. Google's info on car roads is much better than cycling routes. I did not try to use Maps. John noted that even finding an address was often difficult.
• Maps.me is the clear winner. When wifi is available, download the area maps before traveling. I only needed to download about 4 areas and had plenty of phone storage left, and I do not have an extra SIM card. John showed us how to extend battery life by not starting a route and just following the arrow pointer. One can zoom into incredible detail based on OSM (Open Source Maps) that zoom to the shape of buildings. The only need is to carry an auxiliary battery to keep the phone charged. Also, purchase a reliable bar mount to hold the phone securely and perhaps a case or baggie to keep it dry. Best of all, it's totally free. We found it could locate our pre-booked lodging by the name of the lodging, often easier than entering an address. Map orientation takes some time to learn, and phone screens might be hard to read in direct sunlight or when wearing sun glasses.

So my summary advice is to download maps.me to your phone and carry an auxiliary battery and cable to keep your phone charged. My Garmin is useful only as a sophisticated cycle computer. The only useful info gleaned from my Garmin was elevation. My simple cycle computer was more reliable, measuring speed and miles, because it did not turn itself off or exhaust its battery mid-day.

So, a HUGE THANK YOU to John the Professor for route guidance and teaching us all how to avoid getting lost. 

Girona Bike Path Graffiti 

All Things Fade. I took the 1st photo today and the 2nd in October 2015. Wall mural at the north end of old town Girona. 

Pharmacy? The current business is a pharmacy. I'm not sure what was in the ceramic jar, but medieval signage had to be clear to the illiterate.

Roman Sandal. Tribute to the Romans who were early rulers.

Dog of the Day. I was thinking well dressed, but it looks more like pajamas.

Steps and More Steps. In a city of steps, I guess climbing 30 steps demonstrates commitment.

Another Pacifier?

13 October 2018: Girona, Spain; 0 miles, 650 Total

No riding today. After walking to the Saturday market, John, Robin, and Michael spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon rehearsing how they will pack their bikes for train travel from Girona to Bordeaux on Sunday. Over-thinking it, in my view, as the rail authorities are likely to just toss the bikes aboard. One aspect is that they booked the faster train, which has less space for bicycles and therefore more restrictions. However, Alex, our lodging host, said that students frequently travel with their bikes and probably do not pay that much attention to the regulations.

Essentially, their preparation involved tarps, cello packing tape, duct tape, zip ties, measuring, and some wrenching. Pedals must be removed, handlebars rotated 90 degrees, and the front wheel removed to make the package more compact. They found out at the train station today that they can load the bikes themselves on a reserved space in each passenger car. Every bike was packed unpacked, measured, and pondered, and discussed. Fortunately, a Bike Friday with a case seldom poses issues, leaving an extra day on each of my tours to explore by bike or on foot.

After a brief lunch, I walked the Girona city walls, exploring the areas where Nancy and I had previously visited. I looked, to no avail, for shallow, ceramic tapas ceramic bowls (we broke one that we had purchased on our prior trip).

Regarding the tapas bowls, the ones we purchased and repeatedly use for hors d'oeuvres, about 4 inches in diameter, are standard in nearly every southern France and Spanish restaurant, but are hard to find. None were at the Saturday market, most shops carry gaudy painted souvenir bowls. I found 6-inch diameter bowls at a kitchen supply store this morning, larger that the ones I'm seeking to match. I'm still looking.

Most of the sights, odors, and sounds of old town Girona are pleasant. Speaking of odors, the pâtisserie and restaurant smells are great, the urine and pet feces, not so much.

A light mist fell for about an hour this afternoon, just enough to feel damp without getting wet. Again, with little explanation, enjoy the photos of my day in Girona.

Tomorrow morning I plan to cycle about 20 miles to Besalu:
Besalú is a town in the comarca of Garrotxa, in Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The town's importance was greater in the early Middle Ages, as capital of the county of Besalú. Wilfred the Hairy, credited with the unification of Catalonia, was Count of Besalú. The town was also the birthplace of Raimon Vidal, a medieval troubadour.


Besalú was designated as a historical national property ("conjunt històric-artístic") in 1966. The town's most significant feature is its 12th-century Romanesque bridge over the Fluvià river, which features a gateway at its midpoint. The church of Sant Pere was consecrated in 1003. The town features arcaded streets and squares and also a restored mikveh, a ritual Jewish bath dating from the eleventh or twelfth century, as well as the remains of a medieval synagogue, located in the lower town near the river. 

Public Support for Catalan Independence is prominent.

As the following photo shows, the Basilica is on the left and the cathedral on the right. So, this is the basilica in the foreground and the cathedral's tower is visible in the distance.

Coffee roasted on site. Michael swore it was some of the best he's tasted.

We think this business rents/leases apartments or lofts. Their marketing features trendy, single-speed fixies, or fixed-gear bikes. I prefer gears, the wider the range the better, especially low gears.

Michael and John strolling through Parc de la Devesa on our way to the Saturday market.

Girona's Saturday Market. The first straight section featured hundreds of food items. Then a large circular road comprised clothing, hardware, and most anything else one might want.

Dog of the Day #1. Exhausted shopper?

Athenou's Apartments Entrance. Do not be deceived by the outside appearance, as the following five photos show. Athenou was significantly neater before we scattered things about.

Much of Old Town Girona and the surrounding medieval walls were built by the Moors. The following photos show the walkable sections. Girona’s medieval walls, the Passeig de la Muralla, date from the 14th century. Portions of the walls and towers were destroyed during the late-19th century to allow the city to expand. Many missing parts have been reconstructed.

The large building with the many arches is part of Girona University. Other portions of the University are in the new section on the west side of the river.

Michael's Find. I guess if one cannot leave their post on guard duty, one posts where they can.

The child appears about to land on his face while mom takes a photo.

The three most common pro-independence signs. 

On nearly every visit to Spain, I have encountered weddings, this one outside the Cathedral.

Write Your Own Story? Surely, at least a short story based on this scene.

A classic car is a must for a memorable wedding.

Dog of the Day #2

Spigot or Pacifier?

No Place for a Car. Nancy and I struggled to drive here with our rental car, certain that we were not permitted to drive on these streets. Nancy will relate the story if you ask.

Lodging for Nancy and I on our first visit several years ago. 

Entrance

Our lodging featured the large Juliette balcony

Refreshing the laundry. 

Enchanting views every way you look.

Nancy's Favorite. Yes, I enjoyed some last night. Someone had to.

Dog of the Day #3. A lot like #2, but cleaner, dry, and fluffier coat.

Girls have thoughts as well.

Dogs of the Day #4. This loosely tied pack was patiently waiting for their people.

Found the Elevator. We missed from the top, but today I found that it takes one up 5 flights and exits perhaps 100 feet from our apartment. Built to serve the University students it closes at 8 pm.